


Professionalism

by dianano



Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-10 18:57:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18413903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dianano/pseuds/dianano
Summary: Admiral Cornwell and the other members of the Classified Supervisory Task Force prepare for a briefing with Captains Pike and Leland. It doesn’t go as planned.





	Professionalism

**Author's Note:**

> My friends continue to be shameless enablers, and I love them! Leland and Chris's backstories continue to be courtesy of me and the lovely @Kakushigo, and the admirals' names are, in order-
> 
> Kirzastan and Th'rinaar- Deca
> 
> LuValle- Leo
> 
> York- Me, an intentional tie-in to my DnD character, of all things!

“We all on? Sound check, Cornwell here. Kirzastan?”

 

“I’m on.”

 

“Th’rinaar?”

 

“Hello.”

 

“LuValle?”

 

“Here.”

 

“So…” Cornwell twiddled her thumbs, aware the other admirals are probably doing the same in their respective offices. Across from her on the couch, her boss, Admiral York, looked more irritated than bored. Then again, Kat had never actually seen the man display emotion. Hell, she’d attended his daughter’s bat mitzvah and hadn’t seen him smile once. “How’s everyone’s day?”

 

“Fine.” LuValle.

 

“Not too bad, tons of paperwork though.” Th’rinaar.

 

“I’m more concerned about Pike and Leland,” York said without preamble. “Are you sure you can vouch for their professionalism?”

 

“Oh lord, Piland!” Kat jumped in her seat at Th’rinaar’s overenthusiastic voice. “Cornwell, you remember academy-era Piland, right?”

 

Oh, she remembers Piland. Mostly, she remembers Gabriel’s ranting about them over lunch, when they were assigned to his RA block and incapable of getting their hands off each other. When Gabriel had instituted a “no PDA” rule in the common room, they had insisted that, since they were not a couple, the rule did not apply to them. They were merely two friends who liked to cuddle, and ‘doesn’t that say something about your views on masculinity, Cadet Lorca sir?’

 

It had boiled Gabe’s blood like nobody else could.

 

(Of course, the next year they moved into Spousal Housing, all the while insisting that it was for the bigger kitchen space and not because they were in a relationship.)

 

When they’d gotten assigned together to work the Red Angel case, she’d made them swear to each other, her, the Federation Constitution, and the Holy Bible if they so chose that they could keep things professional.

 

“I can vouch for them, sir. They’re behaving.”

 

So far it seemed to be going okay. Pike got pissed at Leland, Leland got pissed at Pike, the world turned ‘round. The same old possibly-sexual tension was still there, she would admit, but something or another had driven a rift between them, and that was okay for her purposes.

 

“Okay,” York stood and interrupted her musings once again. “I’m ready, place the call.”

 

Rolling her eyes internally, Kat pressed a wall panel and paged her secretary to patch the other admirals through to her, then to place a call to the Discovery. Pike had reported some problems with the holographic comms earlier, and advised them to all call from one source.

 

York stood in the middle of the room, and one by one the others appeared- first LuValle, then Th’rinaar, and finally Kirzastan. Then, on holocomm opposite them, the upper body of an comms officer in bronze greeted them.

 

“Hello sirs,” the officer said. “This is Lieutenant Bryce on the USS Discovery. Captain Pike left his do-not-disturb on by accident, so things are a little complicated on our end, but I’m patching you in now.”

 

_ Professionalism indeed, _ Kat thought to herself.  _ Ship’s a mess. _

 

Bryce disappeared from view, and, well, the easiest way to put it was that they heard the audio first.

 

It was soft humming, rustling fabric, and the rolling of wheels on metal. Her office was soundproofed, but otherwise it would be the ambient noise of her San Francisco office space. However, by the time she realized that the noises were not her own, the eyeful that the admirals were getting onscreen verified that.

 

Piland was back at it again. Making out like teenagers in the  **ready room** of all places. Kat turned back to her colleagues in shock, to make sure they were seeing it too. Kirzastan was cringing and averting her eyes. LuValle was blushing and doing the same. Th’rinaar, oh Th’rinaar- he was absolutely delighted, and cackling with silent laughter.

 

Admiral York, for his part, was nearly studying them- observing quietly and carefully, probably to make a formal complaint in the near future. So… here’s what Kat saw, in great graphic detail.

 

1- Captain Leland was straddling Captain Pike in his desk chair. Thankfully (small mercy indeed), they were both still fully clothed and didn’t notice the admirals.

 

2- Leland made some sort of remark along the lines of “should call the admirals,” but Pike waved it off.

 

3- Pike pushed Leland upwards and onto his desk, and from there they resumed making out until Pike pushed him further backwards so that they were both lying on the desk.

 

4- Kat made a mental note to visit Gabriel’s plaque on the war memorial wall and pour one out for him.

 

5- York decided that he’d seen enough and slammed the “end call” button on the wall panel. Piland disappeared first, none the wiser about the interruption, then the admirals one-by-one, until it was just her and York standing in the silent office.

 

Cornwell looked at York. York looked at Cornwell. Slowly the soundproofing lifted. York walked over to the wall panel and replicated two glasses of synthehol, neither asking nor desiring her preference. He brought it back to the couch and gestured for her to have a seat, all in silence.

 

He took two sips.

 

Kat did the same.

 

…

 

“So.” York said. “‘I can vouch for their professionalism,’ huh?”


End file.
